I have to admit, this is getting more and more fun, by the day. July 25, the large fast-food chain, BoJangles, joined thousands of other sponsors, and pulled their ads from the Rush Limbaugh show, after hearing from the protesting public. Here is the email I received, that was also sent out to others who have joined the protest:

Thank you for your comment about our advertisements on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Respect for people of all genders, origins and beliefs is a core principle at Bojangles’, and we would never knowingly participate in anything that could be considered offensive. When we buy radio advertising, we often do not select specific programming and have no knowledge of when our commercials will run – which was the case with ads that have run on the program in question. A number of our loyal guests have told us they were offended by some of the content on the program in recent weeks. We have looked into that content, and as a result we have taken the steps necessary to ensure our ads do not run on this program indefinitely. We hope you’ll continue to enjoy our chicken and biscuits, and we look forward to seeing you at Bojangles’ again soon.

Sincerely,

The Bojangles’ Team —-

Bravo, BoJangles. As with Disney On Ice, who pulled ads earlier this week, BoJangles, was not a long-standing Rush Limbaugh sponsor. On the other hand, AAMCO, who pulled ads last week, were loyal sponsors. They were contacted by groups for over a year and failed to take action. They remained on the StopRush Sponsor list, and may feel the damage for staying with Rush so long. The public, often, does not forget. They don’t take too kindly to companies that support hate speech.

Here is how the Limbaugh boycott works, from my personal experience: Sponsor ads are heard by volunteers (many from FlushRush), who monitor the Rush Limbaugh Show, everyday, around the country. The companies are reported and documented into the StopRush Database. They are then posted and tweeted to boycott groups who then begin contacting sponsors. The process is that simple. It does, off course, require the incredible hard work and dedication of everyday people who volunteer in groups like FlushRush to do this work, as well as the thousands of people who write to sponsors. And those everyday people are working together and growing rapidly. This week alone, the BoycottRush Facebook Group picked up over 1,000 new followers, bringing them to near 60k. That is only one group. It’s reported there are at least 20. Some are open to the public like BoycottRush, while others like FlushRush do their work covertly in a closed Facebook group. The petitions have a strong impact as well. One Petition is sent out to to 30-40 sponsors at a time.

Once Limbaugh is gone,I believe the boycotts against hate speech will grow, as does the public’s intolerance for blatant racism and misogyny in media. And there is great strength is in numbers. When sponsors get hit with massive amounts of correspondence, they tend to listen. Once the companies remove their ads from Limbaugh’s show, they are made ‘Inactive’ in StopRush Database, however they do remain documented and confidential – in case they come back. (Some companies like Angie’s List, Proflowers and 800Flowers, have been know to ‘waffle.’ back and forth to the show). With social media, the people have a much bigger voice than ever before, and they are using it.

“Now, this is Michael J. Fox. He’s got Parkinson’s disease.And in this commercial, he is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He is moving all around and shaking. And it’s purely an act.”